Robert McLean was born in Kirkdale, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, in late 1887, the son of Peter and Sarah McLean (née Autie). His father was a ship’s plumber, and Robert was one of six children in the family. The family home was at 158. Orwell Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool.
Robert followed his father’s profession by qualifying as a plumber and becoming a professional seaman by joining the British Mercantile Marine. His first voyage as a ship’s plumber was on the Cunard liner, RMS Franconia, in 1911.
He married Ada Louise Brightman in Liverpool in the summer of 1914, and the couple set up home at 16, Newman Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool.
He was employed as a plumber in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania and was killed when she was sunk. He was aged 27 years.
His body was not recovered and identified afterwards and as a consequence, his name is embossed on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
In August 1915, his widow was given the balance of wages owed to him for the Lusitania’s last ever voyage. This was in respect of his service from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May - 24 hours after the vessel had gone down. In addition, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted a yearly pension to Ada McLean to compensate her for the loss of her husband. This amounted to £57-18s.-4d. (£57.91½p.) which was payable at the rate of £4-16s.-7d. (£4.83p.) per month.
Ada Louise McLean was pregnant when her husband lost his life and in late 1915 or early 1916, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Robert! Ada died in Liverpool in 1990, aged 99 years. She never remarried.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UK World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards 1914 – 1923, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 334. Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 3rd January 2025.